Attorney general says education is key to the future

NEW BEDFORD — The best investment businesses can make in the local economy is to support public education, Attorney General Martha Coakley told members of the Greater New Bedford Chamber of Commerce Friday.

At the Greater New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce annual Legislative Luncheon Friday, Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley shared her thoughts on some of the iss...

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At the Greater New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce annual Legislative Luncheon Friday, Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley shared her thoughts on some of the issues facing SouthCoast:

Fishing: "You need to keep your voices up about the need to change the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This is a discussion about what the future of fishing will be in Massachusetts."

SOUTH COAST RAIL: "There are a lot of things we need to do, (but) we've finally got South Coast Rail down here. That will be the key to opening up so many opportunities."

TOURISM: With more direct flights to Logan Airport, "we have more opportunity to show off what we take for granted. We do not market and advertise and market the way we should. We need to send people down here to see our wonderful history and the harbor."

Renewable energy: "It's a win-win. We can reduce our carbon footprint and create jobs. We can turn it into an economic opportunity."

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NEW BEDFORD — The best investment businesses can make in the local economy is to support public education, Attorney General Martha Coakley told members of the Greater New Bedford Chamber of Commerce Friday.

"I challenge you to be partners in this great relationship," she told those attending the chambers' annual Legislative Luncheon at Cotali Mar. "When you invest in education, you invest in your community."

As her part of the bargain, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate promised to push for more funding for public schools.

"All of our schools should get more of an investment," she said. We need to put our money where our mouths are. If we don't invest in our kids, then shame on us."

And Coakley argued that "we have to do a better job evening out unfunded mandates and other things" that tip the level of educational opportunities.

She urged business leaders to embrace the successes of charter and innovation schools and the dynamic projects offered by vocational-technical schools as methods of preparing today's students for jobs in the economy of the future.

"The world has changed," she said. "All of our kids need to be prepared."

"To move the economy forward, we need to create jobs," Coakley said. "We have to have a workforce ready to take these jobs. Businesses will not grow or stay here if they cannot get the workers they need."

Forward-thinking training needs to focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) concepts, but educators must stick to the basics, as well, she said.

"We can't forget about basic skills," Coakley said. "I'm not sure we're doing as well as we should, which is why we need to get back to basics."

Part of that is to "let teachers teach" and get other social service agencies involved in external aspects of a child's life that affect his or her performance in the classroom, she said.